stilicho410
Posts: 65
Joined: 4/16/2012 Status: offline
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A couple of thoughts on this program: 1. Astronaut Fatalities: All or nothing. After going through all the preliminary missions, tragedy struck when I attempted my first Lunar Landing mission. After a successful landing and Lunar EVA, I had a catastrophic failure on Step 25, "Lunar Liftoff". Well, these things can always happen, but BOTH astronauts were declared dead. I would think that in this case, the astronaut in the lander would be doomed, but the other astronaut who remained in the Gemini spacecraft could still survive. I realize that modifying this might require a change to the mission database design, as each mission step would have to define whether the entire crew or just some crew members were at risk. I understand if such an update is postponed for future expansions. 2. Gemini Lunar Landing EOR/LOR: Data Entry Error for Langley Light Lunar Lander? Currently, spacecraft components of a Gemini Lunar Landing EOR/LOR are as follows (not counting spacesuits) Booster "A" (Total 15200) S-IVB Space Tug 15200 kg Booster "B" (Total 28717) Gemini Spacecraft: 3851 kg Gemini EOR Service Module: 10064 kg Langley Light Lunar Lander: 14696 kg Spacesuits (a few more kg) As currently defined, the only American rocket that can serve as Booster "B" is the Saturn V. This rather defeats the purpose of EOR, which was to avoid the need to develop larger boosters. I think there might have been a data entry error here, as the Langley Light lander weighs exactly the same (14696 kg) as the Apollo LEM! If the Light Lander were closer in mass to the Gemini spacecraft (say around 3500 kg, it looks pretty small), then a Saturn 1B could serve as Booster "B". This would make Gemini EOR an interesting choice in the game, as one would need to research more components, but would not need to build the final stage of the Vehicle Assembly Building or Saturn V.
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Thanks, Stilicho
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